Improvement in window-blinds



J'. 89 W. F.BEHEL.

W'INDOW-BLINDS.

Emma July 11, 1876.

UNITED STATES JACOB BEHEL, OF ROOKFORD, AND WILBUR F. BEHEL, OF CHICAGO, ILL.A

PATENT EETCE.

yIMPROVEMENT IN WINDOW-BLINDS.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 179,642, dated July 11, 1876; application liled May 27, 1876. v

To all whom it may concern rlhe object of o'ur invention is to produce a window-blind ofsimple construction, at asmall cost, that will be more nearly impervious to rain, wind, dust, and light than the ordinary blind now in use; and also to produce a blind with adjustable slats, that will remain in any adjusted position., to admit more or less'light, as may be required by the user, and that may be closed so as to exclude all direct rays of light, and that can be locked in the closed position, so that they cannot be opened from the outside. y

To this end we have devised and constructed the blind represented in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is an outside face view of a window-blind embodying our invention. Fig. 2 is an edge view 'with one stile removed, and showing the slats closed and locked in position. Fig. 3 is a similar edge view, showing the slats fully open. Fig. et is a transverse section on dotted line .t in Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is an outsideface view of a slat.

In the drawings, A represents the lower cross-rail of a/window-blind rabbeted on its upper outer corner, as at a, to receive the lower portion of the lower slat when closed. B'represents the upper cross-rail rabbeted .on itsinner lower corner, as at b, to receive the upper portion ofthe upper slat when closed. In large blinds it will be necessary to employ one or more intermediate cross-bars, in which instance all the intermediate cross-hars will be rabb'eted-on the upper outer corner, as at a, in the lower rail A, and rabbeted on their inner lower corner, as atb, in the upper rail B. The ends of these cross-rails" are tted in the usual manner, with tenons, represented at c, to enter mortises in the stiles O, prepared for ,theirv reception. O represents the stiles, which are also rabbeted on the outside inner corner, as

at d, and are mortised to receive the tenons on the ends of the cross-rails. These parts, rahbeted as described and shown, and framed and put together in the usual manuer,consti tute the frame of our improved window-blnd. The stiles 0,011 their inner rabbeted edges some distance from the raised portion of the rabbet, and at proper intervals, are bored to receive the round tenons formed `on the ends of the blind-slats. D is an outside face view Aof our improved blind-slat, an end view of which is clearly shown ate. These slats are rabbeted on their lower edge and inner face, and on their upper edge and outer face, to about one-third of the width of the slat from each edge, and are reduced in the rabbeted portions about one-third of the thickness ot the wholepslat, and are formed in such a manner that the upper rahbeted portions of the slats tit into thelower rabbeted portion of the slat next above it, forming a double rabbeted joint at all the overlappings of all the slats and the cross-rails, as seen in Fig. 2. These slats are fitted at each end with a round tenon, f, having a shoulder, g, in the saine plane on both the upper -and lower sides of the tenon, which extends above the tenen, as at h, a distance about equal to the distance that the holes in thev rabbeted edges of the stiles are from the inner raised portion ot' the rabbet, Y at which point the upper portion of the slat is reduced in length at both ends, about equal to the depth of the rabbet on the inner edges of the s-tiles, forming double-shouldered slats of proper length, to freely play between the linner rabbeted edges of the stiles pivoted therein on the tenonsf, as shown in Fig. l, in which portions of the stiles are broken away to show the parts, and is shownin section at Fig. 4. The slats in place in the blind-frame are connected at their inner upper edge to the blind-rod E by staples in the usual manner, the rod E being employed to open and close the slats by its upland-down movement, in substantially the same manner as now in common use. The blind-rod E is of such length that, when the slats are closed, the lower end of the rod maybe forced outward onto the upper edge of the lower crossrail, securely locking the slats in the closed position, so that f they cannot be openedfrom the outside. We

have employed a n'ietalic-capped india-rubber spring, placed in the holes in the stiles iitted to receive the tenons ofthe slats, With-the me.- tallic cap l against the end of the tenon, as seen in place at v,Figz 1, and in section at fi, Fig. 4, which, by means of their spring-action against the ends otI the tenon, serve to hold the slats in any adjusted position, to admit more or less light. For this purpose .it will ordinarily be found sutiicient to employ these springs to operate on but one or two slats in each section of the blind; but, if required, more may be employed, and when it is required to prevent the slats from rattling, they may be employed to act upon all the slats.

Fig. 6, in the drawings, is an isoi'netrical View of the spring enlarged, in which t' is the india-rubber portion, and is of cylindrical form, one end-of Which is provided with a metallic cap, l, iitted with a central line, which is received in the axis of the rubber-cylinder, more clearly shown in the sectional view at Fig. 7. In Fig. 8 is shown in section another form of the metallic capping' of the spring, in which m is the metallic cap, made from plate material, with the edges or portions thereof turned inward, which receives the end of the rubbercylinder.

These metalliccapped rubber springs, as an article of manufacture, may be produced in different ways, among vwhich we would mention that the metallic portion may be produced as rivets are now manufactured, or as tacks having fiat heads of circular form are produced, or they may be produced as metallic caps-for buttons or other similar articles are produced, with the outer edge or portion thereof turned over and inward to receive the rubber portion ofthe spring, or, instead of the metallic capping, hard rubber may be employed and formed in any proper manner to receive the spring-rubbercylinder. The rubber portion of the spring may also be produced iu different ways, among which We.

would mention that the cylinder may be cut from plate rubber,or the rubber may be prepared in tubular or cylindrical form and cut in proper lengths, and the metallic capping applied to the ends of the cylinders may be iixed in position by mechanical appliance or cemented thereto, or the cylinder may be molded on the metallic or hard-rubber capping and vulcanized thereon.

We are aware that window-blinds, in some instances, have been made with some portions of the blind-frame rabbetcd on its inner edges,

and that blind-slats have been made in some instances, having corrugated or rabbeted sides, with eccentric tenons, which Were difficult to balance. Blind-slats have also been produced, having the portion ofthe slat above the tenon shorter than the portion below the tenon. Thisconstruction,when ot'wood,proved in practice a weakening of the slat, liable to split at the tenon on the lower side, and when constructed to exclude the direct rays-ot' light required the slats, on both the in and `out sides, to overlap onto the tenon. These, therefore, we do not claim; but

We claim a'i our inventionl. A blind-frame, consisting ot' stiles and cross-rails rabbeted on its inner edges, fra-med, and stiles bored, as hereinbefore described and shown, constituting a frame for the reception of vibrating slats, as and for the purpose hereinbefore set forth.

2. A blind-slat, as herein described and shown, provided with tenons f on both ends, and shoulders g on both sides of the tenon in the same plane, the slat above the point L reduced in length at both ends about equal to the depth of the rabbet on the inner edge of the Stiles, forming aV double-shouldered slat, as shown and described,`and for the purpose set forth.

3. The combination of the rabbeted blindframe and the double-shouldered blind-slats pivoted therein, substantially as yand for the purpose herein before set forth.

et. In combination with the rabbeted blindframe and double-shouldered blind-slats pivoted therein, the blind-rod E hinged lto the blind slats, operating as described, for the purpose of adjusting the slats and locking them in a closed position by forcing the end of the rod outward ou the upper edge of the lower and intermediate cross-rails.

5. The metallic-capped rubber spring, in combination with a pivoted blind-Slat, for the purpose of holding the slatsv in adjusted posi-- tion to control the admissionoflight, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

6. The metallic-capped rubber spring herein described, as an article of manufacture.

JACOB BEHEL. WILBUR F. BEHEL. Witnesses for J. BEHEL A. BEHEL, E. J. BEHEL.' Witnesses for W. F. BEHEL:

S. lt. FRAZIN, Jr., W. S. DENBARsrEcK. 

